If you want to plant coffee or develop coffee plants, you must also know what fertilizers and nutrients will be used for coffee plants later. Fertilizers and nutrients are one of the most important things for coffee plant growth.
Fertilizers and nutrients in coffee plants are very important to achieve optimal yields and good quality coffee beans. In this article we will discuss fertilizers and nutrients for coffee plants. Want to know more details? Let’s see this article until the end so that it can add to your insight.
Fertilization
Fertilizer is very important for coffee plants. Fertilizer in coffee planting is necessary to help the plants grow strong. Fertilizer on coffee plants is essential to ensure optimal growth and production of good fruit, and quality coffee beans.
The selection of fertilizer and its dosage is also not arbitrary, it must be adjusted to the soil conditions and the type of coffee. The following are the types of fertilizers commonly used.
1. Organic Fertilizer
Organic fertilizers are fertilizers that come from organic or natural materials. There are several fertilizers commonly used by farmers for coffee plants, namely
- Green manure: Green manure is used such as beans, mung beans, or thorns, which can be planted and then cut or hoe for green manure.
- Manure: Manure is one of the most popular organic fertilizers. This fertilizer comes from animal manure and other organic materials that contain various nutrients and microbes that are beneficial for coffee plants.
- Compost: Compost is the result of decomposition of organic matter such as leaves, herbs and other plants.
2. Inorganic fertilizer
Inorganic fertilizers are chemical fertilizers made from inorganic materials or do not contain the element carbon. Inorganic fertilizers are also specifically designed to provide quick and precise nutrition for coffee plants. Here are some examples of inorganic fertilizers
- Urea fertilizer: The most commonly used nitrogen fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. Nitrogen is important for plant leaf and stem growth.
- NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium) Fertilizer: NPK fertilizer is a mixed fertilizer that contains a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in balanced proportions to meet the nutritional needs of coffee plants.
- TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) fertilizer: TSP fertilizer is high in phosphorus and helps in root development and fruit production in coffee plants.
- KCl (Potassium Chloride) Fertilizer: KCl fertilizer contains potassium which is essential for fruit development and coffee bean quality.
Fertilizer selection should also be based on soil analysis so that we know the level of nutrients in it.
Fertilization Requirements for Coffee Plants
The fertilization of coffee plants is also not arbitrary, there are conditions that must be met to plant coffee. The following are the requirements for fertilizing coffee plants.
- The soil is not sandy as it drains quickly during the dry season.
- Soil should have 3% organic matter
- Ideal rainfall is between 1,000 to 3,000 millimeters per year.
- Soil Type considers the soil type at the cultivation site.
- Fertilization Dosage, make sure the fertilizer dose given is in accordance with the recommendations and soil analysis.
- the ideal location altitude is 900 – 1600 meters above sea level.
Those are some of the requirements for fertilizing coffee plants that you need to know. The function is so that the coffee plants we grow are expected to produce quality coffee beans.
Nutrients in Coffee Plants
Coffee plants also need nutrients to grow in order to produce quality coffee beans. Here are the 2 main nutrients required for coffee plants.
Macro Elements
- Nitrogen is important for the vegetative growth of coffee plants, including leaf and branch formation. Nitrogen-deficient coffee plants will appear less lush and have yellow leaves.
- Phosphorus plays a role in the development of the root system of coffee plants, as well as the formation of flowers and fruits.
- Potassium helps increase the tolerance of coffee plants to environmental stresses and diseases. In addition, potassium also plays a role in fruit formation and the improvement of coffee bean quality.
Microelements
- Boron plays a role in cell formation and is required for flowering and fertilization in coffee plants.
- Iron is essential for chlorophyll synthesis and plays a role in the process of photosynthesis.
- Copper plays a role in the process of photosynthesis and the formation of cytochrome-containing enzymes.
So that’s the discussion about fertilization and nutrition for coffee plants. Hopefully this article can help you to develop coffee plants to produce the best quality coffee beans and can broaden your horizons.
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